Makar Sankranti is an important Hindu festival which marks the transition of the sun from Dakshinayan (Tropic of Capricorn) to Uttarayan (Tropic of Cancer), where the sun begins to move towards the northern hemisphere marking the beginning of summer. This therefore indicates the start of an auspicious phase. In Gujarat, this festival is also known as Uttarayan.
On this auspicious festival, it is described in the Shrimad Bhagavat that Shri Bhishmaji, who was lying on a bed of arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, declared his intent to leave the mortal body. At the time, he devotedly performed a divine stuti (prayer) of Shri Krishna, who stood in front of him to bless him with his grace.
Let us all understand the meaning of this prayer, Shri Bhishma Stuti, as described by Pujya Bhaishri.
Iti matirupakalpita vitrishna bhagavati satvata pungave vibhumni,
Svasukhamupagate kvachidvihartum prakritimupeyushi yadbhavapravahah.
Shri Bhishmaji says, “O Krishna, I am the father of an unmarried girl, lying on a deathbed. I am worried that I still haven’t married my daughter.” Everyone present was surprised to hear that Shri Bhishmaji has a daughter despite having taken an oath of celibacy. Shri Bhishmaji continued to describe that this unmarried daughter is his mind.
Our mind is not single; it is attached to wealth, name and people. Shri Bhishmaji claims that his mind is single and he would like to wed it to Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna asked, “Have you asked your daughter if she likes me and agrees?”
Shri Bhishmaji replied, “Yes, she likes you, as who is more handsome compared to you in this world?”
Tribuvanakamanam tamalavarnam ravikaragauravarambaram dadhane,
Vapuralakakulavritananabjam vijayasakhe ratirastu me anavadya.
Shri Bhishmaji tells Lord Krishna that your complexion is dark like that of a bay leaf; you wear a pitambar which is as bright and yellow as the sun; your beautiful, black and curly hair dances on your face… O dear friend of Parth, let my love for you increasingly grow.
However, which girl would marry a man who is handsome but not brave? My mind has done darshan of your bravery in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Yudhi turagarajovidhumravishvak kachalulitashramavaryalamkritasye
Mama nishitasharairvibhidyamana tvachi vilasatkavache astu Krishna atma
Your body was covered with dust spread from the running of horses, your forehead decorated with drops of sweat from the effort of riding the chariot and your armour was pierced with my arrows; my mind is attached to such admirable bravery of yours.
What if one is handsome and courageous but without a good temperament? Your nature is so simple!
Sapadi sakhivacho nishamya madhye nijaparayorbalayo ratham niveshya
Sthitavati parasainikayurakshna hritvati partha sakhe ratirmamastu.
Arjun commanded you in Kurukshetra to take his chariot in the middle of the two armies. This was not a request, it was a command. You laughingly replied, “Yes definitely Parth.” And Indeed you did so. O Prabhu, Hari, dear friend of Parth, who took away the age of the Kaurava army merely with your looks, let my love for you grow.
A girl likes a husband who is handsome, brave and has a good nature whereby he does as he is told. My mind-like daughter, in addition, has also seen how wise you are.
Vyavahita prithanamukham nirikshya svajanavadhadvimukhasya doshabuddhya
Kumatimaharadatmavidyaya yashcharanaratih paramsya tasya me astu.
When Arjun was surrounded with infatuation of his relatives on the Kaurava army in Kurukshetra, he began to sweat, felt dizzy, dropped his bow, sat down and said, “Keshav, I will not fight.” At that time, to take away Arjun’s infatuation and delusion of his mind, you sang the Gita in Kurukshetra. Let me develop love in the divine feet of such a singer of Gita.
What if one has all the above qualities but no love? Such a marriage would fail. Where there is love, one thinks of the other’s happiness. You thought of my happiness and thus to keep my oath true, O Damodar, you broke your oath!
Svanigamapahaya matpratigna mritamadhikartumahavapluto rathasthah,
Dhritarathacharano abhyayachchalatguh haririva hantumibham gatottariyah.
Shitavishikhahatovishirnadamshah kshatajaparipluta atatayino me, Prasabhamabhisasara madvadhartham sa bhavatu me bhagavan gatirmukundah.
When Shri Bhishmaji started piercing Arjun’s body with his arrows, defeated, Arjun hid behind Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna was angry and his eyes became red. Angrily, he got out of his chariot, while his outer garment dropped, lifted the wheel of a broken chariot from the ground and ran like a lion would after a deer to kill Shri Bhishmaji and protect Arjun. Shri Bhishmaji dropped his weapons at this point and laughed as Shri Krishna had broken his oath of not using a weapon in the battle. Shri Bhishmaji began to shed tears of love while performing Shri Krishna’s divine prayer.
This prayer is composed of 11 shlokas. One shloka signifies presenting all one’s possessions to God thereby freeing oneself of attachments; another shloka represents presenting oneself to God thus taking away one’s ego and the rest of the nine shlokas represent the 9 types of bhakti (devotion) to unite oneself with God.
At the end, Shri Bhishmaji said, “O Krishna, I seek your refuge having left all the worldly attachments. I am tired of the continuous circle of life and death. Let me rest at your divine feet.” Thereafter, he concentrated his senses and mind into Shri Krishna, united with Shri Krishna and left the mortal body at the auspicious time of Uttarayan.